DEFENSE? REALLY?

After hearing about the offense over the last few years it seems I am hearing more about the defense for this season. I can't remember defense being the focus of fall camp recently. One huge detail is the emergence of Will Campbell. Not a mystery name to any Michigan fan considering we have been waiting for him to explode since his freshman season. If anybody thinks coaching is overrated in college football needs to look no further than Greg Mattison. Someone of his caliber has learned all the tricks of the trade over the years to make a player who has underachieved finally overachieve. He pushes buttons, challenges his desire, even one of those questionable coaching stares can fire a young man up.

I'm hearing about S Thomas Gordon, who I thought played well in Carvins absence last season. Jake Ryan has also been turning heads along with the usual suspects, Martin, Van Bergen even Roh. All this kids are quality players who have had to settle for less than satisfying results, no thanks to defensive coaching the last few years. Didn't we all shake our heads when they gave up almost 500 yds to UMASS. Didn't we as Michigan fans question the dreaded 3-3-5 almost immediately. How could a DC up in a sky box not see the destruction of the defense game in and game out. How come nobody had the balls to go to Rodriguez and say "this defense is garbage".

Those days are over folks, thank god right? We can count on an aggressive defense with various blitzes from various angles. We can count on some press coverage to slow these mediocre recievers on their routes. Those LB's who have been running backwards for the last three years can actually run forward. And for the love of god, we can see free safeties in position and not being behind the deep recievers. I'm counting on BIG HITS, interceptions, caused fumbles, screaming and yelling, saying some not very nice things about the mother of the other teams QB. I'm counting on it because I know who the new coaches are. No more offensive shootouts, no more missed FG's, and no more losses to MSU and OSU. Get ready BIG-TEN for your worst nightmare to return.